Electric-cable splicing and distributing box.



No. 8483047. PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

H. E. PROCUNIER. ELECTRIC CABLE SPLIGING AND DISTRIBUTING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.G,1905.

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wm n y UNITED HENRY E. PROOUNIER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS. v

ELECTRIC-CABLE SPLIGING AND DISTRIBUTING BOX.

Specicatio of Letters Patent.

Patented Marcfh 2e, 1907.

Application filed February 6,1905. Serial No. 244.315.

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. PnoeUNrEn, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State oflll'inois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric-Cable Splicing and Distributing Boxes, of which thc following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved junction splicing and distributing box for electric cables.

It consists of the featuresof construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved junction-box with the cover removed. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on F i0. 1, showing the cover in place. Fig. 3 is a I ront elevation of a combined junction-bore` and tcrnzinal head cinbcdying my inventionI with the front cover removed.

The specific purpose of the improvement which constitutes the present'invention has relation to the necessity for excluding moisture from the cable, Which is particularly necessary when the strands of the cable or the cable as a whole is paper-wrapped, because of the tendency of paper to absorb moisturcland because of the factthat a very small amount of moisture in such paper covering will cause leakage from' wire to Wire in the cable, defeating perfect insulation, which is necessary to the complete independence of the currents carried by the several wires.

A secondary specific purpose of the invention is to produce a device in which cables may be sul divided or combinfd with the least inconvenience, and in which the connections may be inspected and the wires severally tested Without breakingr the connection as a whole.

For these purposes it comprises a box 1, preferably of castiron,-1nade in a single piece `except as tothe cover and provided with lugs 1' 1u, by which -it may be attached to a post or other upright support, and having' at the forward side an opening 1b, which atiords opportunity for easy inspection of the entire interior of the box, the opening being relatively lar e.I cover 2 is provide which is adapted to be bound tightly over the opening with intervening packing .3 to exclude the passage of air or moisture, bolts 4 4 4 being preferably employed to secure it in' place. side of the `box has a plurality of threaded For' this opening a' The lower openings 5 5 5 for receiving threaded nipples 6 6 6, which niay be screwed into the o enings, and thereby made rigid with the ox. These nipples 'are designedD for the entrance and exit of the cables which are to be subdivided or combined within the box..` Their construction in detail is set out in my application, Serial No. 166,515, filed in thePatent Ollice January 22, 1903, and now pending.

The structure of the nipple bears some relation to the present invention and may be briefly described. It is axially apertured to permit the free insertion of a cable 7 through it, and at the upper part it has an annularenlargement ofthe axial cavity 6a, in which there is lodged an annular deposit of solder 8. '.lhis enlargement extends far enouffh down so that the annular body of solder 8 1s within a portion of the nipple which is exteriorly exposed when the nipple is screwed onto the bottom of the box, as shown, so that by applying heat, as from la blowpipe, to the outside of the nipple after it is 1n place and the cable has been inserted through it the solder may be caused to flow around the cable, and the lower end of the nipple being closed ternporarily by any convenient means (illustrated as a temporary Wrapping 7b) the solder may be held in the space at the lower end of the nipple, into which it will flow when melted until it becomes set therein, thus completely sealing the cable. It will be evident that any number of such nipples may be secured to a box of suitable size to have room in its lower side for such number and that a main cable enteringv through any one of these cables may be subdivided within the box, and branches'mayextend out through y other nipples, or, conversely, two or morey cables may be brought into the box through as many separate, nipplles and combined f therein and passed out t ple, and two cables being brought'in through the nipples may both be subdivided and different 'parts of each combined with different rough another nip- Iool parts of the other to form new cablesiextend- I ing out from two or more other nipples, and

that any desired number of wires may be distributed within the box and connected to terminals for running therefrom, and that in all these combinations and' subdivisions each separate strand or wire of the cable can be -inspected and tested lat the splice or junction made in the'box Withoutinterfering with the cable as a whole. The lower ed e of the opening 1b is sufficiently above the ottom of IIO the box into which the nipples are screwed to leave a pocket-space 1c at the bottom of the box, through which all the strands or wires 7*1 of the several cables extend upward to the junctions or splicings and into which the upper ends of the nipples may open. The purpose of this construction is to afford opportunity trance into the box through the nipples, so that no moisture can possibly pass from the box into the cables when the box is opened for any inspection or repairs, and for this purpose the pocket l.C at the bottom of the box is filled with parallin or suitable sealing compound, which is melted and poured into the pocket and iiows among the strands 7a and also down into the nipples around the cables, filling all the crevices and cavities and covering the upper end of the nipples for the depth of the pocketthat is, to the lower edge of the opening ll. At the upper side of the box there is made a vent-opening closed by a plug 9. After the nipples have `been suitably connected in the box or after opening the box for inspection, the cover 2 being secured in place so as to make an air-tight joint by means of the packing 3, the plug 9 being removed or loosened, so as to permit the passage of air or vapor past it, the box may be heated by a blowpipe or other suitable means to a sullicient temperature to thoroughly dry all the cables and strands of cable in the box and the air therein, the moisture passing oil`v through the vent-openin and when this process has been continue for a few minutes, the plug being screwed down tight into the ventaperture, the cooling of the box will produce a partial vacuum therein, and the substantial exhaustion of the moisture therefrom will cause the wires and cables to remain perfectly insulated by their coverings. As above indicated, this can be done easily each time the box is opened for inspection, and it will be observed that the fact that the. solder which makes the joint between the cable-covering and the nipple is within the latter renders the nipple especially7 adapted for use in such situation, because no injury to the joint will result from melting the solder if this should happen in the heating of the box, for the purpose above explained, whereas if it were an exteriorly-soldered joint, and especially if it were elsewhere than at the bottom of the box, it would be liable to be injured by the complete or partial melting of the solder for sealing the cables at their enj sufiiciently or if the i'lame of the blowpipe should happen to be directed against it while heating the box. Being of the form shown, no injury results even if the solder should be melted.

In Fig. 8 I have shown this invention applied to a combined junction-box and terminal head-that is to say, a splicing and distributing boxin which not only the entering y cable is subdivided for splicing to forni lesser .cables running out from the box, but also l a portion of the entering cable is subdivided I into individual wires or strands 7, which are connected to terminals 11 for individual wires running from the box. In this box all the features above described are present and indicated by the same letters as the corresponding features in the junction-box represented in the other figures.

I clainil. An electric-cable junction or'splicing box having at the bottoma plurality of cableentrances and a pocket into which said entrances lead, and through'which the cables may extend upwardly to their junctions, said box having a lateral aperture opposite the cable-junctions whose lower margin constitutes the u per limit of the ocket; nipples connecte to the box at t ie cable-entrances having each at the upper part an annular solder-cavity o ening at the upper end into the pocket an extending below the bottom of the box within an exteriorly-exposed portion of the nipple, the cable being attached to the nipple by solder in said cavity. *j 2. An electric-cable-splicing box having at ij'the bottom a pocket and a plurality of cablellentrances leading into the bottom 'of the pocket andA through which cables may ex- ,.tend' up into the ocket, said box having a lateral openiiiv a ove the `pocket through j which the cab es are accessible for splicing, l and an air-tight closure for such lateralopenl ing, the box having at the upper part aventaperture and a removable plug for closing the same. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set j my hand,in the presence of two witnesses, at l Chicago, Illinois, this 16th dayof January, l A. D. 1905 if the box should happento become heated l l HENRY E. PROCUNIR.v j ln presence ofl CHAs. S. BURTON,

i FRED, G. FISCHER.

IOO 

